NASHVILLE, Tenn. – As the state of Tennessee continues to make it harder for repeat DUI offenders to get behind the wheel, one state representative is pushing for ignition interlock devices for first time DUI offenders.
A new law says if a driver is caught drinking and driving with a blood alcohol level twice the legal limit then they would have to get an ignition interlock device.
State Representative Tony Shipley sponsored the interlock bill, but he wants to make the new law even tougher.
Shipley is proposing that first time offenders, no matter what their blood alcohol level is be forced to take a breathalyzer test before getting behind the wheel.
"We want you interlocked to protect you from you," he said, adding, "On the average 300 Tennesseans a year who will be alive next year who otherwise would have been killed by a drunk driver and that's really the objective we are after."
According to Shipley, the new proposed bill has been stalled in a sub committee but is still a possibility after the state determines how the current changes would affect the budget.
In the state of Tennessee if a DUI offender can not afford a breathalyzer device, taxpayers' money is used to purchase the required device.
Shipley told Nashville's News 2 that judges are questioning offenders that claim they can not afford the devices.
In less than a year, Tennessee will have the data to see if the state is spending too much money on indigent offenders and will be able to determine if the interlock device is discouraging repeat offenders.
Phillip Burt installs interlock devices on vehicles. He told Nashville's News 2 recently that he would not need to see the data to see the effect the devices have.
"I talk to a lot of people who say if they had to have this on their first offense, there wouldn't have been a second offence," he said.
The American Beverage Institute opposes the proposed law change.
In a statement they told Nashville's News 2, "Requiring interlocks for hardcore offenders is a more effective way to fight drunk driving. It also happens to be a financially sound strategy."
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